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Article ON FREEMASONRY. Page 1 of 5 →
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On Freemasonry.
ON FREEMASONRY .
THK PECULIAR PUOPEUTIES OF MASONIC NUMBKR . BY TUB REV . O . OLIVKR , D . I ) IN selecting the subject of Number for an article in the Freemasons ' Quarterly Revievi , as the organ of the Masonic world , I have been influenced by the hope of producing an illustration which , in conformity with the plan on which the revised lectures of Craft Masonry have been
constructed , may combine information and amusement , and thus prove acceptable to a fraternity whose professed object is the union of " profit and pleasure . " Such extended dissertations on many other detached portions of the authorized lectures of the Lodge , if offered by lhe W . M . in lhe spirit of harmony and brotherly love , would not only be kindly received by the members , but would be hailed with gratulation and thanks , under the impression that he vvas really doing what his station
in the East requires—" employing and instructing the Brethren in Masonry . " Every tyro knows that odd numbers are Masonic , * and , if he be ignorant of the reasons why 3 , 5 , 7 , and 11 , have been adopted as landmarks , let him apply to the Master of his Lodge for information , and he will then be satisfied of the wisdom of tlie appropriation , because Number forms one of the pillars which contribute to the support of scientific Masonry , and constitutes au elementary principle of geometry . Thus , in the celebrated figure , the Pythagorean Tetractys , consisting of
ten points . ' . " . , the upper single dot is the monad or unity , and represents a point , for Pythagoras considered a point to correspond in proportion to unity ; a line to 2 ; a superficies to 3 ; a solid to 4 ; and he defined a point as " a monad having position . " A line was thought to correspond with 2 , because it was produced by the first motion from indivisible nature . A superficies was compared to the number 3 , because it is the first of all causes which are found in figures ; for a
circle , which is the principal of all round figures , comprises a triad , in centre , space , and circumference . But a triangle , which is the first of ail rectilineal figures , is included in a ternary , and receives its form according to that number ; and was considered by the Pythagoreans to be the author of all sublunary things . The tour points at the base correspond with a solid or cube , which combines the principles of length , breadth , and thickness ; for no solid can have less than four extreme boundary points .
While employed in investigating the curious and unique properties which distinguish many of the digits , we no longer wonder that the inhabitants oi the ancient world , in their ignorance of the mysterious secrets of science , and the abstruse doctrine of causes and effects , should have ascribed to the immediate interposition of the deity , those miraculous results which may be produced by an artful combination of particular numbers . Even philosophy was staggered ; and the most refined theorists entertained singular fancies which they were unable to solve
without having recourse to supernatural agency . Hence the science of Arithmancy , or divination by numbers , became very prevalent in the ancient world ; and was used by Pythagoras as an actuiil emanation of the Divinity . By this means , as we are informed by Tzetzes , he not VOL . iv . o o
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Freemasonry.
ON FREEMASONRY .
THK PECULIAR PUOPEUTIES OF MASONIC NUMBKR . BY TUB REV . O . OLIVKR , D . I ) IN selecting the subject of Number for an article in the Freemasons ' Quarterly Revievi , as the organ of the Masonic world , I have been influenced by the hope of producing an illustration which , in conformity with the plan on which the revised lectures of Craft Masonry have been
constructed , may combine information and amusement , and thus prove acceptable to a fraternity whose professed object is the union of " profit and pleasure . " Such extended dissertations on many other detached portions of the authorized lectures of the Lodge , if offered by lhe W . M . in lhe spirit of harmony and brotherly love , would not only be kindly received by the members , but would be hailed with gratulation and thanks , under the impression that he vvas really doing what his station
in the East requires—" employing and instructing the Brethren in Masonry . " Every tyro knows that odd numbers are Masonic , * and , if he be ignorant of the reasons why 3 , 5 , 7 , and 11 , have been adopted as landmarks , let him apply to the Master of his Lodge for information , and he will then be satisfied of the wisdom of tlie appropriation , because Number forms one of the pillars which contribute to the support of scientific Masonry , and constitutes au elementary principle of geometry . Thus , in the celebrated figure , the Pythagorean Tetractys , consisting of
ten points . ' . " . , the upper single dot is the monad or unity , and represents a point , for Pythagoras considered a point to correspond in proportion to unity ; a line to 2 ; a superficies to 3 ; a solid to 4 ; and he defined a point as " a monad having position . " A line was thought to correspond with 2 , because it was produced by the first motion from indivisible nature . A superficies was compared to the number 3 , because it is the first of all causes which are found in figures ; for a
circle , which is the principal of all round figures , comprises a triad , in centre , space , and circumference . But a triangle , which is the first of ail rectilineal figures , is included in a ternary , and receives its form according to that number ; and was considered by the Pythagoreans to be the author of all sublunary things . The tour points at the base correspond with a solid or cube , which combines the principles of length , breadth , and thickness ; for no solid can have less than four extreme boundary points .
While employed in investigating the curious and unique properties which distinguish many of the digits , we no longer wonder that the inhabitants oi the ancient world , in their ignorance of the mysterious secrets of science , and the abstruse doctrine of causes and effects , should have ascribed to the immediate interposition of the deity , those miraculous results which may be produced by an artful combination of particular numbers . Even philosophy was staggered ; and the most refined theorists entertained singular fancies which they were unable to solve
without having recourse to supernatural agency . Hence the science of Arithmancy , or divination by numbers , became very prevalent in the ancient world ; and was used by Pythagoras as an actuiil emanation of the Divinity . By this means , as we are informed by Tzetzes , he not VOL . iv . o o